Child-killer’s wish for prison granted

A SELF-CONFESSED child-killer who was freed by the State has got his wish to be locked up and punished for his crime. Last week, The Star’s sister paper, the Daily Voice, revealed how Wesley Cupido was released from custody because the State had not secured vital DNA reports linking him to the murder of Brighiette Shenabe. The 26-year-old told the Daily Voice he was in a drugged state but admitted he killed the girl before burying her under a pile of wood close to her Robinvale, Atlantis, home on January 1. Brighiette, 11, was Cupido’s ex-girlfriend’s niece. Last week, Cupido said he had admitted to his crime and was shocked when the court released him a month ago because of outstanding DNA reports. “I know I did wrong,” he said from his home. “I am heartbroken, there isn’t a night that goes by without me crying because I killed her. I don’t feel satisfied. This case must get done.” Eric Ntabazalila, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, said the case against Cupido had been struck off the court roll provisionally, until the State saw fit to rearrest him. And on Friday, he got his wish. “Today (Friday), the NPA managed to secure a warrant of arrest for Cupido,” Ntabazalila said. Cupido appeared in the Atlantis Magistrate Court, where he was again charged with kidnapping and murder. Ntabazalila said Cupido’s case would be transferred to the Western Cape High Court for a pre-trial conference on October 9. Outside court, the girl’s mother, Nikita Solomons, said she was happy with Cupido’s re-arrest. “I really couldn’t understand why he wasn’t being kept in prison for the murder of my daughter. He confessed to the killing, and he must now rot in jail like any other murderer,” she said. – Staff Reporter